SIRACUSA AND ORTYGIA, SICILY: WARMTH WELCOMED US TODAY!

Monday, November 9, 2026
Day 35/50
Siracusa, Sicily, Italy
73F, sunny! 

Greek Temple of Apollo

We are so fortunate to experience so many places, different cultures and languages, and food! Today was no exception as we ambled around Siracuse and Ortigia, Sicily. 

 

[Side Note: I will say that IF Princess does provide a map, it is written in font size 5, or let’s say the tiniest font available on a computer.  I think our favorite method of navigation has become following the people in front of us and hoping they know where they are going.]

 

Siracusa has a population of approximately 115,600 to 125,000 residents and serves as the capital of the free municipal consortium of Syracuse in southeastern Sicily.  It is located at the southeastern corner of Sicily along the Ionian Sea. Siracusa was founded 2,700 years ago by Greek Corinthians and was once a major Mediterranean power.   Siracusa is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its rich Greek and Roman history.

 We crossed a bridge to Ortygia, a small island just off Siracusa and immediately spotted a market. After another round of colorful vegetables and fruits, spices, and souvenirs, we resumed our search for surprise, sfogliatella. It is always good to have a purpose!

 

Umberto Bridge to Oryngia

from Siracusa

Market in background

several blocks!

The Fountain of Arethusa is the fountain

near the cathedral in Ortygia/Siracusa.

The fountain has a natural spring that is part of the historical center of Siracusa and it is considered one of the most emblematic landmarks of ancient Siracusa. The fountain is mentioned in various works of literature and is significant part of the city's mythological and cultural heritage.

TK and the Fountain of Arethusa

Streets along the way

Another street!

Gorgeous sfogliatella and coffee!

Friends Mark and Cindy strolled by

and took this photo. Mark's family

owned the Pontiac dealership

on West 26th Street in Erie

Janie with her new found

patisserie!

With the help of AI, we found a pastry shop, Pasticceria Artale  (https://www.pasticceriaartale.it/) with a nice variety of pastries, especially my favorite. I think we could wander all over Europe like this, just looking for cafes and special pastries. 

 

Not far from this café we spotted the Cathedral, and a large plaza.

Not far from this cafe, we spotted the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Holy Nativity of Mary, an ancient Catholic church in Siracusa and the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Siracusa. The building was originally the Temple of Athena, a Greek Doric temple constructed in the 5^th century BCE.

Metropolitan Cathedral of the 

Most Holy Nativity of Mary

Detail

This church is also in the plaza. TK

cannot explain to me why 

churches are built so close to each other.

The Piazza --Cathedral on the right

The other church is behind me as 

took this photo

 

As we walked back toward Siracusa, we learned that this is the birthplace of the famous mathematician and inventor Archimedes.  I found something I thought was interesting for Randy and Brian—a surprise for Christmas but it might have something to do with 3.1416+.

 

Random menu

Detail on a government building

by the fountain

I think I could put this car in my luggage

Back across the bridge from Ortygia 

 to Siracusa--Island Princess in view

TK decided he wanted to have pizza in Sicily, so we found an excellent restaurant near the ship, Puros. Just wow! As we sat down the server brought us an “appetizer” of fresh bread and sliced tomatoes, with a spritz of olive oil. We shared a margherita pizza—fresh mozzarella, divine!  After finishing the server delivered 2 small cannolis, a bottle of water, and along with two Pepsi Zero, the whole lunch cost 17 euro or $19.03. Isn’t that reasonable??!!  https://www.purosweb.net/

TK at Puros!

 

Margharita Pizza, we were hungry!

Cannoli!

We visited Sicily (Messina) in 2022 and at that time we visited Mount Etna.  Our guide at that time said that Sicily is the largest island in the Human activity was evident dating back to 12,000 BC and it has had Phoenician, Greek, and Roman inhabitants, as well as many others.

Mount Etna--this morning we could see it from

our ship, but covered with clouds now

This photo is from 2022

TK's Takes:  Only 2 cats. Over 10,000 steps again--easy walking in this town. Good pizza near the ship.

DUBROVNIK, CROATIA: AN OUTSTANDING MEDIEVAL TOWN--SO WELL PRESERVED!

Saturday, November 7, 2026
Day 33/50
Dubrovnik, Croatia
70F, sunny with few clouds

 

Janie is off the ship!  

Island Princess in the background

Another beautiful day for walking around a historic city!   By the way, instead of paying the $23 pp/rt that Princess was charging for the shuttle to Old Town Dubrovnik, we opted to hop on a city bus for 5 euro pp/rt--which is $5.60 USD.  The bus took us to the same Pile Gate that the Princess shuttle was going to. 

TK stood in one direction, 

looking at the Dubrovnik wall

Janie stood in the other direction,

with the Dubrovnik city wall behind her

We really tried to soak in the atmosphere by enjoying coffee and a croissant with a background of city walls that range from 5 to 20 ft. thick! 

Breakfast at Gradska kavana Arsenal

Coffee with croissant (Janie)

and Focaccio bread with a choice of

jams, butter, honey, and Nutella (TK)

The Walls of Dubrovnik encircle the medieval Old Town in a continuous limestone ring, rising to 82 feet high and 1.2 miles in length. Built mainly between the 13th and 17th centuries, the walls were designed to protect the Republic of Ragusa from both land and sea attacks, and they remain one of the best-preserved medieval fortification systems in Europe.

 

Pile Gate

Partial view of the wall 

Fountain

St. Saviour Church

Well worn passage way

Franciscan Church

Survived an earthquake in 1667

Putting Christmas lights up 

Main "street"

Church of St. Blaise

The Orlando Column

(in front of St. Blaise)

Orlando's Column stands as a testament to the city's history and its role as a free trade city-state. The statue, which represents the legendary knight Orlando, is a symbol of freedom and civic pride. It was erected in 1418 and has been a central point of public life in Dubrovnik.  According to legend,  in the 9th century Orlando and his fleet saved Dubrovnik from a 15 month long Saracen siege.

Cathedral of the Assumption 

of the Virgin Mary

(just around the corner from St. Blaise)

Honest!

In a city with 1.2 miles of wall encircling it, I counted 8 Catholic or Orthodox churches, 2 convents (not still in use), one mosque, and one synagogue.  That seems like a lot to me!

We visited Dubrovnik in November 2022 and took a tour with a Game of Thrones cast member, Tom. He did a great job of showing us GOT sites around Dubrovnik, as well as the city itself. But he was almost like a drill instructor, and I remember all the steps, up and down, and then more up and down.  This time we opted for a flatter walking experience.

The following photos from 2022 reminded me of the steps we did not climb up and down this trip!

 

2022

2022

2022

Janie sits in the Iron Throne

from Game of Thrones/2022

Dubrovnik, a historic coastal city in southern Dalmatia by the Adriatic Sea, has a population of about 41,562 people and is. Only about 1,500 permanent residents live within the historic walled Old Town.

 

Another church!

We can always sniff out the bakeries

TK bought kukurzna kiflica/1 euro

It tasted like a pretzel!

Another gate into Old Town Dubrovnik

It is in the extreme south of Croatia, known as the "Pearl of the Adriatic.”  Founded in the 7th century, it later became the Republic of Ragusa, a famous independent maritime republic that thrived through trade and diplomacy.  Dubrovnik is famous for its massive medieval stone walls built around the Old Town.

"Monument to Cruelly 

Interrupted Childhood"

I noted this sculpture on the way to the Old Town and was able to capture its image on the way back to the ship.  It depicts 15 broken colored pencils, honoring 15 children killed during the 1991-1995 Croatian Homeland War.  The pencils are intentionally snapped in half, symbolizing unfulfilled  dreams, cut short stories, and loss of innocence.   Designed by artist Dalibor Stošić and architect Hrvoje Bilandžić and installed in 2026.

TK’s Takes:  He wanted a photo of St. Blaise Catholic Church. St. Blaise was a 4th‑century Christian bishop and a martyr, venerated especially as the patron saint of throat ailments. Blaise is said to have miraculously saved a boy choking on a fishbone—this miracle became central to his patronage of throat ailments. I love that TK remembered that on February 3, the Feast Day of St. Blaise, throats are blessed in the Catholic church. No cats today...

St. Blaise encore

Where on earth are we?

SPLIT, CROATIA: ENTERING ANOTHER WELL PRESERVED DIMENSION!

Friday, November 6, 2026
Day 32/50
Split, Croatia
70F, sunny!

 

Ceiling in Luxor Cafe in Split Old Town 

Of all the ports we have visited, Split will be one of my favorites.  With only an easy 10 minute walk to the Old Town, interrupted only by a colorful fruit, flower, and vegetable market, we felt like we had entered another dimension. 

Billboard on the way to Split Old Town

MARKET AREA:

We have decided that, when possible, we prefer visiting ports on our own.  According to Internet sources, Split Old Town is the historic heart of Split, Croatia, centered on Diocletian’s Palace, a Roman emperor’s retirement complex built around the 4th century CE.

Entering Old Town

Cathedral of St. Dominus

(from the back)

Diocletian is buried in a mausoleum which was constructed as a tomb and later converted into a Christian cathedral known as the Cathedral of St. Dominus. Since Diocletian had Dominus beheaded, this is quite ironic. 

What we especially loved was that unlike a traditional palace, it is a living city where stone streets, apartments, cafés, restaurants, shops, bars, courtyards, and Roman ruins coexist within the ancient walls. The Old Town is almost entirely pedestrian, making it ideal for walking and exploring its atmospheric alleyways.  It is also mostly flat with few steps to climb!

Over centuries, it became a Byzantine city, later influenced by Venice and the Habsburg monarchy.  The Old Town preserves layers of history spanning over 1,700 years, from Roman architecture to medieval guilds and modern Croatian life.

 

Column Detail

Split has a population of around 160,000, with a metropolitan area of about 310,000. It is on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea in the Dalmatia region.  The city grew around the ancient Roman palace built for Emperor Diocletian over 1,700 years ago.  The historic center and palace are a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. Split is a top travel destination known for its stone streets, seaside promenade (the Riva), and nearby beaches.

Diocletian’s Palace is the “best preserved example of late Roman architecture anywhere on the planet” according to local literature. Diocles was the last Roman emperor to persecute Christians.

Diocletian's Palace

The weather was perfect and I could not resist Luxor, right outside the palace, where we could enjoy a cup of coffee.  Today we left the ship earlier than usual and that paid off with fewer crowds at the significant sites.

 

What a delightful place for a

cup of coffee!

Luxor

From there we wandered around—the typical souvenir shops, shops with Game of Thrones souvenirs (parts of the series were filmed here), bakeries (a luscious cinnamon roll), candy shops, even three shops that only sold those little rubber ducks, jewelry, clothing, and so much more.

 

Grgur Ninski

The Grgur Ninski statue, created by Ivan Meštrović in 1929, symbolizes the struggle for Croatian national identity.  Grgur Ninski (also known as Gregory of Nin) was a 10^th century bishop who played a crucial role in the preservation of the Croation language and culture. He was a strong advocate for the use of the Croatian language in religious services, which was a significant move at the time when Latin was the only officially accepted language of worship.

An archaelogical dig just outside the city wall

Detail of an artifact by the archaelogical dig

Garbage Truck!

This image should show the well-worn

walkway, in place for hundreds of years

Fish Market

Riva 

Walkway along the Water

Cafes all along Riva

Intriguing fountain--from high on the wall

to the cup on the ground!  Can you see 

the water? Every 4-5 minutes

And Roman ruins!

Today I was able to contact “Bags to Go” at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. Their bag wrapping service is at Terminal 1 and we need to check in at Terminal 3 with American Airlines, but the person I talked to assured me that it was only a 10 minute walk to Terminal 3.  Our flight is around 5 p.m. so we should have plenty of time to have our bags shrink wrapped, Janie said optimistically.

TK's Takes:   Cats were all in one spot--an older lady was feeding them and giving them water.  The coffee was good. Shops were small. Lots of people, can't imagine summer when it is hot and even more crowded. Enjoyed sitting and relaxing on the Riva.

Where on earth are we?